Employment Law

Workplace discrimination occurs when a person receives unfavorable treatment based on his/her gender, age, disability, religion, race, sexual orientation, pregnancy status or national origin.  Discrimination may affect hiring, firing, job assignments, salary, benefits, training, promotions and/or layoffs. No matter how large or small an employer is, he must know exactly what workplace discrimination is and how to prevent it.  Not doing so…

Minneapolis & St. Paul Employer Rights Lawyer If you have employees, you need to know what your employee’s rights are. They deserve a safe place to work that is free from harassment. They can also seek legal representation if they feel like they aren’t being treated fairly. While most people only think about employee’s rights, the truth is that you…

In Minnesota, employment background checks are considered serious business. Why? Because there are so many ways to unfairly use the power to background check against employees. Often to reinforce hiring biases or to deny jobs based on non-work-related details. In fact, the laws about when and how a Minnesota employer can run an employment background check and what decisions they…

Federal laws and state laws are put in place to stop employers from discriminating against a job candidate or a current employee because of the following: race gender religion sexual orientation gender identity pregnancy physical or other disability age While one may think the above types of discrimination were once a thing of the past, that is not the case.…

At Villaume & Schiek, we have represented a significant number of employees and we are always ready and prepared to hold an employer accountable for the actions that have taken place. We understand what it takes to handle issues that take place in the workplace. We know how important it is for our clients to be rightfully compensated for any illegal…

Unless you have been living under a rock or spending hours upon hours binge-watching your favorite TV show, the chances are high that you have heard of the term whistleblower. However, you may not be completely sure what it means to be a whistleblower. An employee who comes forward to uncover any information or any type of activity that the person honestly believes…

Several cases have been decided by the Supreme Court this year, and many of those cases have had an impact on the rights of employees. A few months ago, we talked about the rights and employment protections for LGBTQ employees. There have been several Supreme Court decisions that have impacted the rights of employees of religious organizations. Religious Employers and Health Insurance…

The Minnesota Human Rights Act makes it illegal for employers to discriminate based upon race, disability, sex, or a number of other factors. Unfortunately, many employers still continue to make hiring and promotion decisions based upon one’s membership in a protected class.  If you’ve been discriminated against, contact the Law Offices of Villaume & Schiek. What Does Employment Discrimination Look Like? Discrimination…

Generally, when someone has several years’ worth of experience in a particular job field, an employer will view that person as someone who can add value to the workplace. These are the people who have a clear understanding of how the business works and what it will take to be a success. Also, they will also know who to reach…

Figures from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) show that Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.1% during the period that included March 12, 2020.  One week later on March 17, 2020, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reported that the Minnesota Unemployment Office was receiving 2,000 applications per hour. Overnight, we’ve gone from a thriving, robust job market to what some…